Is this HTC’s new secret weapon?

The HTC A9 or called it HTC Aero has been leaked few times in this year and it could form the beginning of a new range from HTC. That said, we’ve never actually seen it before in live images.

Thanks to Steve Hemmerstoffer, aka @OnLeaks and the leak originating in China, now we can see this upcoming HTC flagship smartphone, the one that’s supposed to turn the tide for the struggling Taiwanese company.

The leak shows off the front and the back of the handset, alongside Apple’s latest flagship. Yes, you are right, it looks almost exactly like an iPhone. HTC probably only decided to put the camera dead center on the phone’s back in order to (hopefully) avoid a lawsuit from Apple. Had it not done that, it would have been almost impossible to tell this handset and an iPhone apart, at least when looking at their backs.

On the front fascia, things are a bit different, and the prominent HTC logo helps too. The HTC Aero has been rumored to be marketed as the HTC A9 when it launches later this year.

As part of the company’s efforts to improve its dwindling revenue this year, CEO Cher Wang has already announced that HTC will be releasing a new “hero” device this October, which could be the A9. However, the company has not been giving away any further details about the handset.

The A9 rumored to be one of the first smartphones to features MediaTek’s high end deca-core Helio X20 SoC, along with a 5.2-inch QHD resolution display, 4GB of RAM and a large 3,500mAh battery. The phone is also rumored to come with 2.5D glass and a full metal body design, just like in the picture. If true, the A9 would certainly make it into the high-end category, but we will have to wait and see about the price.